To have one single man claim that he is the messenger of God centuries ago and still have his word believed in present day is quite powerful. There are approximately 1.3 billion Muslims in the world today which means that one out of every five people believes Muhammad was, indeed, the messenger of God.
Muhammad, much like other so-called religious "messengers of God," can either be seen as a legendary figure or a raving lunatic. In today’s society, if one were to make the claims of having revelations from God, they would be classified as insane.
Travel to any large city in the world and you will see dozens of curbside prophets claiming that they’re communicating directly with God and that they are the singular voice the people should listen to and follow. In this essay I will discuss whether or not Muhammad was truly the “messenger of God” or did he merely create his revelations from some mental illness.
First, many may argue why would God wait so late in Muhammad’s life to start his communications with him? Jesus, who Christians believe to be the son of God, preached his messages from the very start. If God wanted Muhammad to lead so many to follow him, why would he wait until the later years of life? Many may argue that it takes a great deal of time to realize who your one true self is and that it is life experiences that mold us into the people we are destined to be. Muhammad, from the beginning, seemed to have a deep compassion for others. In one case before he took his title as “messenger of God” he gained a great deal of respect from people through resolving a conflict. However, looking at said conflict, I search to find where the resolution and use of knowledge comes into play.
The situation took place while Muhammad was repairing the Ka‘bah, various clans of the Quraysh argued over who would have the privilege of placing the Black Stone in its place. As violence was about to erupt, the people chose to call on Muhammad and make him the mediator between the two parties. He placed the Black Stone on his cloak and asked all the clan chiefs to hold its edges and raise it, and then he placed the Black Stone in its appointed spot with his own hands. This is where I find myself searching; how did this solve the conflict?
Pipes, Daniel. “How Elijah Muhammad Won.” Commentary. Jun. 2000, vol. 109 issue 6, p31, 6p. Academic Search Elite. EBSCOhost. .
Writing about a topic that has been on an upward slope of controversy and criticism within the past two decades, Fred Donner a notable Islamic History professor at the University of Chicago whom has written multiple texts about the origins of Islam, tells the tale of the beginnings of Islam and how it would be shaped into its current manifestation today with Muhammad and the Believers. Donner admirably conveys the early history of Islam and its success to its centrality and “Believers’ Movement” opposed to many western historians accrediting it to the need of social and economic reform. Muhammad and the Believers is split up into five chapters, all of which Donner imparts his main thesis of Islam being a group of believers (mu’minun) opposed
In the early 6th century, Muhammad introduced Islam into the Arab world, and asserted that there was only one true God. Islam demanded that believers obey God’s will and laws (Islamic Law, web). By introducing Isla...
Throughout his life, the Prophet Muhammad proved to be exceptionally adept at uniting diverse groups, negotiating a series of alliances and loyalty arrangements that spanned religious, tribal, ethnic, and familial lines (Berggren 2009). Among other things, this ability enabled Muhammad to forge a shared identity and found a nascent Islamic state from a diverse and even heterogeneous community (Rahman 1982; Ernst 2003, pp. 87-93). This diversity proved to be both a source of strength and conflict for Islam, and following the death of Muhammad early Islamic communities engaged in extensive debates not only about the nature of his teachings or how to carry his legacy forward, but also about the terms that should be used to define his authority. Although this debate produced a colorful array of movements within the tapestry of early Islamic civilization, this essay offers a critical examination of two particularly distinct perspectives on the nature of prophetic authority: namely, those articulated
There are two declarations of faith in Islam: That there is only one God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. In Memories of Muhammad, Omid Safi explores the ways in which Muhammad – both the historical and spiritual Muhammad – is remembered, commemorated, and contested by Muslims throughout the centuries. Safi focuses on the movements and moments in Muhammad’s life and after his death that for many Muslims best exemplify the teachings of Islam. He succeeds in opening up the dialogue to correct the negative portrayals of Muhammad and the religion of Islam, calling it a “Muhammad problem” in his introduction. Furthermore, he provides a book that is accessible and intelligible to both Muslims and non-Muslims, drawing from historical and spiritual sources, and addresses relevant issues contested between Muslims in relation to other religions, presenting Muhammad as a historical figure and one who is beloved by the Umma.
The two largest religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, were implemented by two of religions most powerful leaders, Jesus and Muhammad. Without question, both Jesus and Muhammad have affected humanity powerfully. As religious leaders both men laid down the principles upon which Christianity and Islam are founded yet today. However, while Jesus performed miracles and arose from the dead, thus proving to his followers he was God, Muhammad performed no such feats, and made no such claims. In fact, Muhammad’s only claim was that he was the last prophet sent from God.
Muslims believe that the absolute deity is Allah. However, they also believe that there was a string of prophets sent by God to teach his word. The last of these prophets was Muhammad. His life is used as a foundation for Muslims to see how they are supposed to live and to help explain the teachings of the holy book of Islam, which is called Holy Qur’an. These teachings are said to have been revelations that Muhammad received that confirmed the God’s unity and the direct life in the world.
After ‘The Year of Sorrow’ in which both Muhammad’s uncle- Abu Talib and wife- Kadijah died Muhammad is warned by the angel Gabriel that the situation is getting too dangerous for him in Mecca. “Muhammad knew the faith must find expression in a community which would insure its external force and the opportunity to prevail against opposition” (Cragg). It is at this point that Muhammad is invited to become a leader in Medina (622ce).
Lings, Martin. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Revised edition. Bartlow, Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 1991.
Although an ideal-type is designed to be a purposeful exaggeration, Max Weber 's description of the ideal prophet may not be as exaggerated for certain applications. Muhammed, the Arabian prophet, comes awfully close to embodying all the characteristics described in Weber 's "maximum outline" for defining a prophet (Pals ...). Charisma is perhaps the essential characteristic of any type of social leader, including prophets, rulers, and priests alike. Muhammad undoubtedly exemplified this necessary charisma and the transformative power that allowed him to carry out his divinely-ordained mission and proclaim a life-altering message. His mark on history and role in establishing one of the world 's largest religions both largely qualify him for
The author first summarizes the historical life of Muhammad. This begins with his birth and life before he was given his mission. Next comes his struggle to spread his religion. Since the days of Abraham, people had fallen back to worshipping many Gods. Muhammad’s task was to restore monotheism that Abraham had established. To do this, he had to move to Medina for protection. This whole period is referred to as the Hijra. Thousands of followers made this journey with Muhammad, and it is here that Muhammad would struggle to convert his world back to a monotheistic one. The author does a good job explaining the world in which Muhammad was born into. The book does not go into any depth about his life before his prophecy, but this is probably because there isn’t much information on the subject.
One of the main purposes of any prophet's call narrative is to justify his right to speak in the name of God. Oftentimes a prophet's message isn't accepted of very popular with the people he is preaching to, and in the face of t...
One of the biggest achievement of Muhammad as a prophet was the way in which he preached the message of Islam.
Before we are going to talk deeply about how God communicates to human being, we need to distinguish some terms that relating with the works of the prophets
Bouhdiba, Abdelwahab. "The Message of Islam." Diogenes (International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies). Humanities Full Text. 2005. Web.